Q&A with Clublezlife founder Sam Needham

Meet the woman helping you find the lesbian scene all around the nation.

By Emelina Minero

Published: 2011.12.27 11:52 AM

Sam Needham (left) shows her Pride.

Looking for a lezzie hot spot in your area? Or maybe you’re hitting the road and want to find out where the girls are in your destination city. Well Clublezlife has got you covered. Created a year ago by Sam Needham, Clublezlife was inspired by Needam's desire to check out the local lesbian scenes when she traveled—and her frequent inability to find them. So Needam did what any resourceful lesbian in this digital age would—she developed website to fix the problem. Now you’ll never be out of the lesbian loop.

What spurred the idea for Clublezlife?
The whole idea formed when I started traveling in my early-20s. I would visit major cities for work or pleasure and wanted to check out the lesbian scene. It wasn’t always negative, but numerous times I experienced failed Google search results, outdated events, Myspace sites that hadn’t been touched in months, gay club listings that might have a lady or two and once a $40 cab fare to a closed venue. It was frustrating and unless you knew someone connected to the local scene it wasn’t easy to find events. This was circa 2006.

Over the next several years, the idea manifested itself. I started keeping a list of lesbian and LGBT organizations and came up with the name, clublezlife. I even started a twitter account @clublezlife. The biggest challenge I foresaw with event sites in general was all the time required to keep events updated. I also started to see some great local sites for specific cities. However, I wanted a site that would connect all the different cities together.

Did you expect Clublezlife to get so big in its first year? How does it feel to be partnered with and have the support of organizations like Her HRC and businesses like MissManaged Productions and Sin parties?
When we launched the site, I was confident our automated app would allow us to list lots of events with little effort. However, I had no idea there were so many events out there. Even though our site has 60-100 events weekly, we are still growing, adding new organizations each week. We have only scratched the surface and are excited about the future.

From a partnership perspective, we have been extremely fortunate to all the individuals and groups who believed in the site since inception. It feels amazing to have the support of large national LGBT organizations and lesbian promotion companies that have been around for decades. We have seen and continue to see the love and support coast to coast.

What can we expect from the iPhone app you are launching this December?
The sweetest part of the iPhone app is how easy it is to view event details and receive alerts for new local events. We hope that our mobile app makes it easier for women to search event details on the go and to stay connected to what’s going on locally and nationally. We also have ideas for future versions with more interactive features and promotions.

What new features do we have to look forward to in your website re-launch this January?
On the new site you will be able to set a default city and personalize your homepage. For example, someone in LA will see featured events and LA events, while someone in Dallas will see featured events and Dallas events. Also, the new site is more visual with banners and extra social sharing features. We are excited!

What are your goals for Clublezlife?
Long-term, we see it being much more interactive, as well as international expansion. Eventually, we will build up local street teams and individuals to help promote Clublezlife.com. My ultimate vision for Clublezlife.com is to be a single site for all types of lesbian events: nightlife, comedy, travel, non-profit, etc. (clublezlife.com)